


No Better Time Than Now

by Tangela



Series: Final Fantasy VII [4]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, It's an Only One Bed fic, Love Confessions, M/M, Porn with Feelings, Smut, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:22:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25994407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangela/pseuds/Tangela
Summary: Zack and Cloud find shelter for the night in the middle of a snowstorm. Cloud has some things on his mind.(A 'There was only one bed' fic.)
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Series: Final Fantasy VII [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1701667
Comments: 3
Kudos: 102





	No Better Time Than Now

**Author's Note:**

> I love a good Crisis Core AU. Cloud and Zack are both in their twenties in this fic, because let's face it, we were robbed.

There was no sign of the snowstorm easing anytime soon. If anything, it seemed to be getting worse the closer to Modeoheim they got. It was supposed to be a standard 'dispatch any monsters in the area' mission, but the sudden snow was making it impossible. Cloud wiped the snow from his goggles, trying to keep an eye on Zack, who clearly had no idea what the words 'keep pace' meant. 

"Zack!" he called out, hoping his voice wouldn't be drowned out by the wind. 

"Over here!" came the reply.

Cloud pushed himself a little further, following the voice and finally catching up with his partner. 

"We need to stop for the night," he said, as the storm whipped around them. "We're not making any progress like this." 

"But-"

No sooner was the word out of Zack's mouth when the snow began to fall heavier, as if in challenge. 

Zack shook his head. "Alright, alright. What's left of the town should be just up ahead. We can set up camp there for the night."

They trudged on through the storm, until they found a group of cabins, all but falling through the door of one of them. Zack shoved the old door shut behind them, and the world fell eerily silent. 

Cloud removed his goggles, trying to get his bearings. The cabin was little more than one large room that acted as both living room and bedroom, with smaller rooms for the bathroom and kitchen. It had obviously been unoccupied for a while, but wasn't in such disarray that it couldn't be used. A large fireplace took up most of the far wall.

While Cloud was busy looking around, Zack had already stripped himself of most of his protective gear. 

"We need to get a fire going," he said, trying to stop his teeth from chattering. "See if you can find anything that'd work as kindling."

Cloud nodded, struggling out of his snow-soaked scarf and gloves. The cabin didn't have much to work with, but they managed to find some old newspapers and what looked like parts of a wooden chair. Zack tossed them into the fireplace, casting a fire spell to set them alight. That took the sting out of the air, but Cloud was still freezing. Every inch of him felt numb. 

"We need to get out of these clothes, find somewhere for them to dry," Zack was saying, but Cloud was barely paying attention. "Hey, Cloud. You alright?"

Cloud nodded, but he wasn't. The cold was really starting to get to him. He could barely move. Zack took him by the shoulders, moving him closer to the fire. 

"I'm gonna help you out of this, okay?" he asked, tapping Cloud's coat. 

Cloud just nodded again as Zack unzipped his coat and gently peeled it off him, finding somewhere to lay it to dry.

"I'll see if the bed's any good. Sooner we get set up for sleep, the better."

Cloud's eyes widened. Of course he knew they were going to have to sleep there, but he hadn't thought- He didn't-

_Shit._

"You take the bed," he said, trying to sound casual. "There's a perfectly good couch right here for me."

"We don't have any more blankets," Zack replied. "Don't worry, this bed's pretty big, and it's in okay shape."

Cloud was starting to wonder what terrible thing he'd done in his past life to punish him like this. 

It wasn't that he didn't like Zack. He did. That was the problem. He really liked him. They were best friends, practically inseparable from when they'd first met. Zack had been by his side through everything, watching him rise the ranks of SOLDIER, from infantryman to 2nd Class.

There had been a night, after Cloud had been promoted and they'd gone out to celebrate. They'd been drinking for hours, laughing and reminiscing, when Zack had suddenly gone very quiet. Cloud turned to ask if he was okay, to find Zack quietly staring at him.

"I'm glad I have you," he said, and Cloud had never noticed how intensely blue his eyes were. 

"I'm glad I have you too," he said with a smile, his heart suddenly racing. 

He knew it wasn't the drink, knew he had seen Zack's gaze dart from his eyes to his lips and back, could feel him leaning in slightly. And then the song had changed and the moment was gone, Zack was back to his raucous, tone-deaf self, and Cloud was left reeling. 

_Were we about to...?_

He knew Zack didn't remember much of that night, but Cloud hadn't been able to stop thinking about it. Before, they'd been close - Cloud didn't mind sitting in Zack's lap if there weren't enough chairs at a gathering, and Zack's arm was almost constantly slung around his shoulders, but now the slightest touch from him would send Cloud running. A switch had been flipped, and no matter what he did, he couldn't flip it back. 

"Yeah," was all his mouth could manage.

"Give me the rest of your clothes so I can hang them up to dry," Zack said.

Cloud froze. 

"You mean like, all of them?"

"Well, you can keep your underwear."

Small mercies. 

Cloud stripped off as quickly as he could, practically throwing his clothes at Zack. 

" 'm cold," he mumbled, immediately making his way to bed.

It wasn't a complete lie. He  was  cold.

Zack carefully hung Cloud's clothes up before stripping himself of his own. Cloud forced himself to look away. The last thing he needed was his dick having any say in this. He moved as close to the edge of the bed as he could as Zack climbed under the covers. 

"Hey, where're you going?"

Cloud yelped as Zack slid his arms around him, pulling him close. 

He had never wanted to disappear as much as he did right now. This was his wet dream and worst nightmare all rolled up into one.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?"

Cloud shook his head. He wasn't sure if his mouth was capable of producing syllables right now. 

Thankfully Zack left it at that, and the pair fell quiet. Cloud tried desperately to force himself to go to sleep, but with Zack's strong arms around him, chest flush against his back...

He was in for a long night.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Zack asked quietly.

"Sure," Cloud said, trying not to focus on Zack's breath against his skin. 

"You've been a little...weird with me lately. Did I do something wrong?"

"No.," Cloud said, a little too quickly. "Uh, 'course not. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just...I dunno."

He felt Zack shrug.

"You just seem to be avoiding me every chance you get. I wanted to talk to you about it when we got back, but this seems as good a time as any, right? You can't run away from me here."

Zack laughed nervously, and the hairs on Cloud's neck stood up. He squirmed. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean that to sound as creepy as it did, I- Gods, I'm so bad at this. Look, I- I just don't wanna lose you. So, whatever I did, I'm sorry. Really, I am."

Cloud sighed. How the hell was he supposed to tell him?  _"Don't worry, I haven't been avoiding you because I hate you, it's because I'm so desperately in love with you that I can't stand to be around you."_ He couldn't imagine that going well.

"Listen...Zack..."

Here it came. 

"You remember that night we went drinking, after I got promoted to 2nd?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I had a really great time with you, but...there was...Something happened."

Zack pressed a little closer to Cloud, almost protectively. 

"What happened?"

"No, no, nothing bad, it's just- At one point, you turned to me and said "I'm glad I have you". And I thought that was really sweet, so I said the same to you, but then- Then you went quiet, and the way you were looking at me, it...it kinda scared me. You've never looked at me like that before."

A moment of silence hung between them. Zack was the one to break it.

"Like what?"

Cloud licked his lower lip nervously. "Like you wanted to kiss me."

He froze, eyes squeezed shut, waiting. Waiting for the backlash, the argument, the "You're crazy, I don't remember that."

But nothing came. Cloud hated when Zack was quiet, it always meant that there was something wrong. 

"Zack?"

"I remember."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I- There was something about the way you were looking at me and I wanted to- But then you looked a little...scared. So I dropped it, pretended like nothing had happened."

"It wasn't fear."

Cloud's heart was hammering in his chest. He took a breath. 

Just a little more.

"It was realisation."

This time it was Zack's turn to freeze.

"You mean that?" he said after a time. 

His voice was so soft, as if he was scared of chasing Cloud away.

Cloud nodded.

Without warning, Zack started laughing, his head buried against Cloud's shoulder.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just- All this time, we could have- We're idiots."

Cloud just smiled. 

"I should have kissed you," Zack murmured. 

Cloud gathered his courage, turning himself in Zack's arms. Warm blue eyes searched his. Cloud ran his tongue across his lip. 

"You can kiss me now," he replied in a breath. 

A pause of time passed, barely a beat, before Zack was leaning in, mouth warm and desperate against Cloud's.

To think they could have had this all this time...

Cloud slid his arms around Zack's neck as Zack pulled him closer, pressing their bodies together. 

Cloud felt as though he was burning up, all from Zack. And to think he'd been all but frozen barely more than an hour ago.

Zack ran his tongue against Cloud's mouth and Cloud gasped, allowing Zack entrance to kiss him deeper.

Cloud would be lying if he'd said he'd never thought about this. Zack's mouth against his, his arms around him, his-

He let out a moan as Zack's hand ran lower, fingertips skimming along Cloud's now tensed stomach. He stopped at his hip, toying with the waistband of Cloud's boxers. 

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked. "Because we can wait until we get ba-"

Zack didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as Cloud took his hand and pressed it against himself. Zack let out a shuddered breath. 

"I don't think I'm going to last until we get back," Cloud murmured, sliding his arms around Zack's neck. 

That was all the answer that Zack needed. He licked his palm - the best he could do under the circumstances - leaning in to kiss Cloud again as his hand slipped into Cloud's boxers. Cloud kissed him with fervour, unable to restrain himself anymore, not now that he was finally getting what he'd wanted for so long. 

He gasped against Zack's mouth as Zack stroked him, breaking the kiss to rest his forehead against Zack's. They'd barely begun and already he was losing control of himself. 

"You're so beautiful, you know that?" Zack murmured against Cloud's skin.

A small moan escaped Cloud at that, and Zack huffed a laugh, pressing a chaste kiss to Cloud's mouth.

"Zack, please," Cloud started, his breath hitching as Zack's hand kept moving against him, stringing him slowly along to the edge. 

"What do you need?" Zack asked, moving lower to kiss Cloud's jaw and along his neck.

Cloud squeezed his eyes shut. Words were useless to him now, he could barely think straight. He reached for Zack instead, mirroring his movements in an attempt to even things out. 

Zack stopped with a gasp as Cloud's hand built up a slow, steady rhythm against him. Cloud was trying to give as good as he was getting, but it was all quickly becoming too much. He wasn't going to last much longer at this rate. Zack moved his head lower, pressing kisses along Cloud's jaw and down his neck.

"Zack-" was all he managed before he came with a broken cry.

His free hand reached around to the back of Zack's neck to pull him close, kissing him feverishly. Zack wasn't far behind him, moaning against Cloud's mouth as he came as well.

They lay like that for a while, tangled up in each other as they caught their breath. Eventually Cloud withdrew his hand, suddenly feeling very shy. 

He'd just- With Zack-

As if he could read his mind, Zack tilted Cloud's chin up.

"You alright?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I just- Well, you know, we-" Cloud trailed off, embarrassed.

"You don't regret it, do you?"

Cloud blanched. "No! Of course I don't, it's just I- I never thought it would happen."

Zack laughed softly. "You had me worried for a sec," he teased.

Cloud smiled, finally gathering the courage to look Zack in the eye. He leaned in, pressing a kiss to Zack's cheek. Zack responded by scooping Cloud into his arms.

"Can't have you freezing to death on me," he said, pulling the blanket tighter around them.

"Shouldn't we get cleaned up?" Cloud asked.

Zack raised an eyebrow. "But it's so warm and cosy in here. Besides it's not that bad. That's tomorrow us's problem."

Cloud laughed, but he didn't protest further. He was safe and warm in Zack's arms, and the lull of sleep was starting to pull him under. He stifled a yawn, tucking his head under Zack's chin.

Maybe snowstorms weren't as bad as he thought.

**Author's Note:**

> I typed all of this out on my phone, so I hope there aren't too many mistakes. Kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated! They help keep me writing. Thank you for reading!


End file.
